Poenaru

Poenaru is a Romanian surname. It may refer to various individuals, the most notable of whom is Petrache Poenaru, a 19th-century engineer and inventor commonly credited with producing the first fountain pen. Born in 1799, Poenaru is said to have designed a pen whose ink was stored in a reservoir and released through a metal nib. In 1827 he was awarded a patent for this device in France, a milestone in the history of writing instruments. The patent and device helped demonstrate the feasibility of a self-contained ink delivery system, a feature that would shape the development of fountain pens in the subsequent decades.

The Poenaru fountain pen did not immediately replace traditional writing tools, but it marked an important step toward more convenient and reliable written communication. Over time, numerous improvements—such as refined nibs, better ink feeds, and piston or cartridge systems—built on the Poenaru concept and led to the modern fountain pen.

Beyond this invention, information about Poenaru’s later life is relatively limited in major English-language sources, though he is recognized in Romanian historical accounts as an early engineer-scientist contributing to modernization in the region.

See also: Fountain pen; List of Romanian inventors.